Rose at the Alameda entrance to Fairmount Cemetery. (Photo courtesy of Sara Martin)

Reader Sara Martin’s rose photos knocked the contest for the TimeLapse Plant Cam outta the park. Just check out this one above, variety unknown, photographed at the Alameda entrance to Fairmount Cemetery. (For more about the next contest, read on.)

And then there’s this one, a Chicago Peace rose, which Sara shot at her friend Barbara’s yard in Boulder. If you know from Peace roses, you know their amazing fragrance. This photo’s good enough to smell.

Chicago Peace Rose

Says Sara: “I can’t take credit for the gardening, only the photography. I live in a condo, so I find vicarious joy in preserving the beauty from other people’s gardens.”

October rosebud; all photos this post by Sara Martin

I’ll leave you with her last shot, of a rosebush planted at Fairmount right next to that knockout red-and-white rose, and a plea for some able rosarian out there to offer a guess on the variety in the comments. Congrats, Sara!

And on to this week’s contest, which I’m carrying over from last week: Win an individual membership to the Denver Botanic Gardens (which you can upgrade inexpensively if you’ve got a family). Big things are happening there; they’ve completed 20 construction projects in the last two years. This summer, the Mordecai Children’s Garden and new greenhouses will open, extending the Gardens’ iconic conservatory with an orangerie (indoor citrus grove) and orchid exhibit. Plus there’s a killer lecture series on food gardening that’s already begun. Members get discounts on virtually everything, right down to a cup of joe in the bistro, and guest passes. And you get to see the Henry Moore sculpture exhibition for free. For more about the Moores, the garden, and all that it offers, check out the Feb. 28 Sunday Denver Post.

What do you gotta do? Send me a recipe (preferably with picture) inspired by your garden, to sclotfelter@denverpost.com. Something simple and easy, like your favorite pesto or dried herb blend or fresh salsa or slaw. I’ll share some of mine throughout the week.

Speedy comment goddess Kitt supplied me with a link so I could see what my lettuce hitchhikers turn into when they grow up. They turn into inchworm moths (that’s presuming, of course, that I’m correctly identifying my little green friend as an inchworm.)

A fine thing, and a fabulous page full of pictures — unless, of course, you’re me, and moths make your stomach do a little unhappy flip.

Even I can admit that IF I could study them, they’re pretty amazing in their variety and a certain kind beauty. But … I am actually nearly phobic about moths. Blame our pal the miller moth, or army cutworm moth, a critter I encountered as a child growing up in Chicago. Bleah. They would flap, flap, flap in my window all night, and once indoors, their clumsy flight paths would inevitably mean they’d crash into me. Yurgh. Swat them with a folded magazine, and they flap, flap, flap some more. Smash them against a wall and they leave a dusty trail.

Yes, they harm nothing. Or, as my father put it back then, “They don’t eat much,” — his answer to girlie horror at any kind of bug. And any other kind of creepy crawler or slimey thing is fine with me. I don’t shudder at spiders, salamanders, worms, frogs, bees, mice, bats, silverfish or earwigs (OK, yes, earwigs ARE gross, but they don’t FLAP). Miller moths, though — major shudders. That’s why they call them IRRATIONAL fears. I have worked long and hard to be able to pull my car SAFELY off to the side of the road when there’s a miller moth in it. Put three of them in a large dining room with me, and I’ll likely keep to the walls. So a whole web-page full of things that resemble miller moths — let’s just say it ain’t gonna be my screensaver anytime soon.

There IS actually a moth I’m very fond of, especially since it was drawn to my proof of life garden last year by the “Wild Thing” salvia, a plant that, alas, did not return this year. That’s the hummingbird or hawk moth, a big critter whose wings are a blur and that makes a slight humming sound as it zooms around, sticking a long proboscis into nectar-filled plants. It moves like a hummingbird, but when you look at it closely you know that it’s not a bird. I saw few butterflies in my new garden last year, but lots and lots of these guys. I’m pretty sure that the critters enjoying my “Wild Thing” ‘s bright fuchsia blooms were whitelined sphinx moths. Sigh. That probably means buying more of this salvia. Or maybe I’ll substitute Red Birds in a Tree, another screaming bright red/fuchsia Plant Select perennial.

Yeah, OK, I know that reporters are supposed to remain unbiased and not play favorites. But I love the Colorado Rockies, and have been a fan since the very first Opening Day.
My most prized possession is an Andres Galarraga jersey autographed by the Big Cat himself. And I have filled a curio cabinet in my home office with photos, ticket stubs, balls and caps signed by such other favorite players (past and present) as Vinny Castilla, Eric Young, Ellis Burks, Todd Helton, Terry Shumpert, Juan Pierre, Dante Bichette, Mike Lansing, Larry Walker and Brad Hawpe.
The best trip I take every year is to Tucson for a week at Spring Training.
So, yes, I am thrilled that the Rox have made it to the division playoffs. And I’m working furiously to figure out how to get a live feed from Game 3 to stream on my Treo.
Why not just watch it on TV? Because my job is to report not on baseball but on Denver’s charitable fundraisers, and there’s a ton of ‘em Saturday night.
So if you’re not into baseball and wouldn’t mind doing some good for several worthy causes, here’s the lineup:
* SafeHouse Denver celebrates its 30th anniversary by staging a 1970s-style disco ball at the Westin Tabor Center. Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the presentation of awards to Steve Siegel of the Denver District Attorney’s office and the Junior League of Denver. Live auction items include a trip to Chicago for a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show and four nights at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Arizona. Call 303-302-6112.
* Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents Cookin’ with Maya, Laughin’ with Sinbad and Dancin’ with Cleo — a 6 p.m. dinner, auction and program — at the Colorado Convention Center’s Four Seasons Ballroom. Roselyn Saunders is chairing the event; special guests are poet Maya Angelou and comedian Sinbad. Recipes from Angelou’s cookbook will be used for the desserts served after dinner. Radio personality Tamara Banks (Martini on the Rockies) emcees and Moment’s Notice provides the dance music. Call 303-295-1759.
* The first Dawn Denzer Community Leader Award will be presented to LaFawn Biddle during Costumes for a Cause, a fund-raiser for Colorado Neurological Institute that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom. Tribute also will be paid to Gov. Bill Ritter and his wife, Jeannie. Chef Troy Guard is chairing the event with his wife, Leigh Sullivan Guard; he also created the evening’s menu. Guests are encouraged to come in costume, according to honorary chairwomen Bonnie Mandarich and Deana Perlmutter. CBS4’s Ed Greene is master of ceremonies. Call 303-806-7417.
* The University of Denver Bridge Project presents Patti LaBelle as the headliner for its 16th anniversary gala, a black-tie dinner and auction that begins at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center. Marie and Martin Herzog are the chairmen; 9News anchor Bob Kendrick emcees. Call 303-871-2735.
* Advocates for Children will honor former Denver Nugget Bill Hanzlik at the 11th Red Wagon Ball. Festivities, at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center, begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, live music, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. Dessert, a live auction and the award presentation are next, according to chairwoman Amy Krza. Fox-31 News anchors Libby Weaver and Ron Zappolo emcee; Gary Corbett is the auctioneer. Call 303-695-1882.
* Fiesta Colorado, a dinner and awards ceremony benefiting the Denver Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation, also begins at 6 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center. Sixteen college scholarships will be presented to area young people; in addition, Monique Lovato will receive the Latina Leadership Award while Excellence in Education honors will go to Leonard Baca and Open World Learning. Call 303-534-7783.

Denver Post Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. Her column appears every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.